U.S. trade commission finds solar imports from India, Indonesia and Laos are harming domestic industry

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has issued a final affirmative injury determination in its Solar IV investigation targeting crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells, whether or not assembled into modules, imported from India, Indonesia, and Laos. 

The decision clears the final legal hurdle for federal trade protection, finding that dumped and subsidized imports from the three Asian nations cause material injury to domestic solar manufacturers. As a direct result of the ruling, the U.S. Department of Commerce will issue official antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders, establishing high tariff barriers and permanent cash deposit requirements across all three import corridors. 

The upcoming duty orders will impose combined tariff rates as high as 249% for India, 268% for Indonesia, and 219% for Laos. These case-specific remedies, governed by the Tariff Act of 1930, will stack directly on top of existing executive tariffs and Section 232 minimum import price floors rather than replacing them. 

Finalized duty rates 

The USITC vote locks in the final margins established by Commerce last month. For Indian suppliers, Commerce set final dumping margins at 123.04% for all producers alongside a countervailing subsidy rate of 126.09%. Indonesian exporters face final dumping margins set at 94.36% for all producers, with countervailing duty rates ranging between 73.2% and 173.7% depending on the specific supplier. For imports originating in Laos, Commerce established final dumping margins at 65.43% for all exporters, accompanied by countervailing subsidy rates ranging between 82.03% and 153.67%. 

The trade cases were originally brought by the Alliance for American Solar Manufacturing and Trade, a coalition represented by lead petitioners First Solar, Hanwha Qcells USA, and Mission Solar Energy. The litigation follows earlier Solar III duty orders targeting Southeast Asian manufacturing hubs in Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. 

Next steps 

Following the USITC’s final injury determination, Commerce is scheduled to issue its official AD and CVD orders in early November 2026. Upon publication, U.S. Customs and Border Protection will be instructed to require final duty cash deposits on all incoming entries of cells and modules from India, Indonesia, and Laos. 

The Commission’s full public report, Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells, Whether or Not Assembled Into Modules, from India, Indonesia, and Laos (Inv. Nos. 701-TA-772-774 and 731-TA-1756-1758, USITC Publication 5804) detailing its factual findings and legal analysis, will be published on the USITC website by November 23, 2026.